CULTURE

Footer Column 2

Footer Legal

Footer Main

Nav Bar

OTHER

SPORTS

Subscribe, at any level, to play

Thanks for your interest in Defector Crosswords!

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Plans start at $8/month.

Subscribers enjoy unlimited, ad-free browsing.

Register to continue

Or click here to subscribe for unlimited, ad-free access!

Our gift to you: This year's post is unlocked. Register your email to get even more free articles.

Welcome to the 2025 Hater's Guide!

Just register your email:

This blog is free to read.

This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

David Roth

A general view of the atmosphere at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on April 24, 2016 in New Orleans, with a fried crab po'boy front and center.

Podcasts

Some Basketball, Some Sandwich, With Rohan Nadkarni

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs tries to avoid a sack by DE Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday February 9, 2025.

How To Describe An Ass-Kicking

Nick Sirianni, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, is escorted off the field by thirsty-ass Dom DiSandro following the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on January 26, 2025.

The Eagles Fan Version Of Personal Growth, With Dan McQuade

Reed Hastings attends the Netflix and Mediaset Partnership Announcement in Rome, in 2019.

The Movie Studio At The End Of The World, With Will Tavlin

Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki wearing #11 which was Miguel Rojas number is introduced as the newest Dodger during a press conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Bop It In The Go Bag, With Justin Halpern

An Enchanted Tools robot called the Mirokai is displayed during the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show CES in Las Vegas.

The Future Feels Like The Raiders, With Ed Zitron

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks out of the tunnel before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 15, 2024 in Philadelphia

Los Angeles Is A Football Town, With Diana Moskovitz

A master swordsman named Bernard Ganter uses a saber to open an enormous bottle of Moet & Chandon at a celebration in Denver, Co.

The Fellowship Of The Champagne Saber

Malcolm Gladwell and Carlos Watson speak onstage during OZY Fest 2018 at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on July 22, 2018 in New York City.

Feeling Like Ozymandias, With Susie Banikarim

A birthday cake is seen for Jess Park of England (not pictured) at St George's Park Futsal Arena on October 21, 2024 in Burton upon Trent, England. It's kind of a saddish cake sitting on what looks like a couch. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

One Hundred Distractions Deep, With Eric Silver

Kelsey McKinney

Rachelle Hampton

Welcome To The New Era Of Normal Gossip

C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans adjusts his helmet in close-up before taking the field for Houston's game against Jacksonville on December 1, 2024.

That AFC South Feeling, With Rivers McCown

Jae Towle Vieira [they/them] works as a producer for Normal Gossip. Their fiction has been published in The Normal School, New England Review, Carve Magazine, Passages North, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere.

Jae Towle Vieira

Normal Gossip logo with cartoon characters gossiping

Secret Family Fortune Tellers And Other Deathbed Revelations

Former Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, his wife Mickie, and Actor Ken Jeong look on in the final seconds of the Terry's Chocolate Vegas Showdown college basketball game between Duke Blue Devils vs Kansas Jayhawks on November 26, 2024.

Staying Up Late And Being Stupid

Bitter Fruit From The Fig Of Deceit

A traveler is reflected in a pane of glass with a paper snowman behind it during travel on Christmas Day at Frankfurt Airport.

Emergency Christmas Protocols And Underwater Hotels, With Sabrina Imbler

Make It A Ham Bag This Holiday Season

NBA and FanDuel online sports betting signage is displayed on the side of a building in Phoenix, Arizona.

Doing Cocaine In An MRI Machine, With Arif Hasan

Something Stinks With The Fishmonger’s Cousin

Closeup of painted Oakland Raiders fans in Black Hole during game vs New York Jets in Oakland in 2003. They've got like weird helmets and skull stuff going on.

A Taste Of That Football-Shaped Bread, With Ray Ratto

Bromance Languages 101

Kamala Harris smiling out at the crowd at her big rally in Washington, D.C. on October 29, 2024. There's a bunch of people cheering behind her and she's wearing a suit.

Watching The Game, With Denny Carter

Night Of The Flying Fruit Snatchers

Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees grimaces/smirks after a strikeout in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during Game Four of the ALCS.